UFC 130 preview: The tale of a reluctant headliner and the eager underdog

On one side of the podium sat excitement, and the other? Barely contained boredom.

Light heavyweights Matt Hamill (10-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (31-8 MMA, 6-2 UFC) were opposites not only in space but outlook on Wednesday at a pre-fight press conference for UFC 130, which takes place Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Hamill might have lit a fire under Jackson’s behind in predicting victory at the event, but the glow has now worn off. Jackson is just doing a job, speaking to a media that doesn’t quite know where he stands, or, for that matter, where they stand in relation to him.

The sour look on his face keeps everyone guessing, and talk prior to fight week of retirement in three years – at the age 35 – hasn’t helped things.

If 32-year-old Jackson were a song, he’d be The Pixies’ “Where is my mind?”

Agree with it or not, Jackson feels he’s earned the right to move his mood on a dime. He’s been a UFC star going on five years (and a movie star as of this past summer). He doesn’t need to play ball. There are things he says for his employer and himself, but he gives an indifferent glare to those eager to pry too far into his life.

He’s here now to bank money for the end of his career, and beating Hamill quickens that goal.

For the media, “I made my mind up when first started fighting that I wouldn’t fight past 35,” Jackson said. “That’s all I knew. When I get to 35, I feel like I’ll be an old man for this sport. So I decided that years ago.”

For him, he said: “I’ve got a lot of things I want to do. I’ve got these finger paintings I really love doing. I made a peacock the other day; it was very beautiful. When I retire, I think I’ll be making a lot of finger paintings and putting it all over the house. I might sell some on eBay. If you guys are interested, let me know. I’ll make more. Thank you.”

For the media, he said: “I really regret getting really heavy after my November fight because I couldn’t fight (Mauricio) ‘Shogun’ (Rua) when Rashad (Evans) got injured. That was like a kick in the ass for me. So I was really excited to get in shape for this fight.”

For him, he said: “You look at yourself in the mirror, and you’re disgusted with yourself – a professional athlete. That’s bad. That’s embarrassing. So I’ve been Tweeting pictures of myself with abs. I’m happy, man.”

Hamill is the squeaky clean opposite of Jackson, or maybe the Chael Sonnen to Jackson’s Anderson Silva (without the trash talk). He talks with childlike enthusiasm about the opportunity of a lifetime. He talks about beating the odds in a five-year fight career.

He’s stoked for good reason: He asked for this fight.

In fact, he and his manager sold it to the UFC and Jackson, who briefly packed up his toys when a promised slugfest with Thiago Silva was taken off the table. This is Hamill’s fight to sell – and his golden ticket.

The stakes are far from equal, however. Jackson, a former champion, has cache that Hamill can only dream about, and he could win a title shot against current champ Jon Jones with a victory on Saturday. Hamill, on the other hand, is destined for that no man’s land of significance known as “in the mix.”

Oddsmakers have brushed aside Jackson’s reluctance in crowning him the favorite in the fight, much to his surprise. But the underdog role is one he’s happy to give Hamill. It’s one less job to do, though many would say it puts more pressure on him to succeed.

“I don’t know if it’s more pressure on me,” Jackson said. “I haven’t really thought about that. Matt Hamill’s a very worthy opponent. He’s a great wrestler, and he’s really tough. I really enjoy being the underdog most of the time, but I just take fights as they come. If Matt’s the underdog this time, he can have the underdog status. I’ll give it to him. He can have it.”

Hamill is thrilled to accept.

“I’ve been the underdog for the past five years, and I’ve proven everyone wrong,” he said. “I would just like to shock the world. I just got off the phone with my grandfather. He always tells me no matter what [the odds] are … to just go out and compete.”

Mir and Nelson ask, “Why can’t we be friends?”

They live in the same city, they work out at some of the same gyms, and their wives chat about the latest goings on.

Frank Mir (14-5 MMA, 12-5 UFC) and Roy Nelson (15-5 MMA, 2-1 UFC) were bound to cross paths at some point as natives of Las Vegas. The easy sell is a grudge match, a battle for turf or bragging rights.

But there’s no such thing, both fighters said.

Question after question has been asked about their friendly acquaintance and the overlapping circle of friends they share. Has this fight torpedoed that relationship?

The short answer is no. Well, there is one little thing that came out of training camp: who got to train first at a local gym.

“OK, let’s establish some things,” Mir said. “I’ve been in the UFC longer. When I want to go to the gym, I get to go to the gym first. The only problem is Roy and I don’t care.

“But then [boxing coach Jimmy Gifford], he was like, ‘Hey man, you guys are like buddy-buddy with each other 10 weeks before the fight. Let’s build up some animosity.’ I don’t think it worked. Did you get mad about the gym time.”

“Just a little,” Nelson replied.

“I guess it worked a little,” Mir said with a smile.

Not exactly the makings of a blood feud. Yet observers still want to know how they’ll be able to fight. It could, after all, turn into one of those annoying lovefests where hugging and glove-touching get in the way of the fight.

Can they promise to avoid that?

“I think the hard time that people find with a lot of fighters is that if my wife were to get in the ring with me, I would try to knock her out and choke her unconscious,” Mir blurted. “No problem. I would flip the switch instantly.”

Somewhat less awkwardly, Nelson pointed to the spirit of competition they share.

“I think one thing everybody’s missing is that this is a sport first,” he said. “We’re going out there to put on a show and basically have a job. We might be hugging afterward, like, ‘Good job.’ But we’re not going to be hugging before because that’s not what you do before a match. When this is the playoffs, it’s the playoffs. We’re trying to win.”

What will they win? According to them, the No. 2 spot on the heavyweight ladder. With former champ Brock Lesnar out and champ Cain Velasquez in recovery, they agree that the winner of UFC 131’s headliner, Junior Dos Santos vs. Shane Carwin, is next up for a shot at the belt. But the winner of Saturday’s fight is next.

That’s an awful lot of incentive to punch a friend.

“Roy and I are friends before the fight,” Mir said. “I like the guy a lot. After the fight, as long as there’s nothing done inappropriately like a choke being held after the bell … we’ll be friends afterward, regardless of the outcome. I’ve never tapped in a submission competition, and I’ve never tapped in the UFC. I’m sure he’d like to be the first one to create that happening.”

In other main-card action, Stefan Struve (21-4 MMA, 5-2 UFC) hopes a win over up-and-comer (and surprising odds favorite) Travis Browne (10-0-1 MMA, 1-0-1 UFC) will put him in line for a shot at a top-tier heavyweight. Browne looks to rebound from a disappointing draw in his most recent fight against Cheick Kongo.

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